Stray questions and Hi I'm new :)

First let me start by saying I have cats, dogs and tarantulas and my name is Emily. A member of the tarantula forum I belong to suggested this site to me and I'm very happy I came to check it out!

Secondly, I have been feeding a stray cat for over a month now, he looked pretty rough when I met him and looks better now but still rough lol. I think it is a mature male that has been fixed, he's missing a few teeth and some of his fur is missing from fighting or a skin problem. I made him a shelter from a storage container like I've seen online and fitted it with blankets, next to that is his food and water, these are all on the back porch. At first he would eat and leave never going into the little shelter but now he stays in the yard almost all day unless he goes next door to nap under the neighbors grill tarp where it's a bit cooler in the afternoon. Each evening he chills on the porch, we visit him and then he sleeps in his shelter through the night.

I'm taking him to my vet on Friday to get vaccines, dewormed, some tests and to see if he is actually a boy. I don't know if he can ever live in the house because of the pets we already have but it would be nice if that happens. If for some reason he has to be outdoor only we will set up an outdoor enclosure in the backyard attached to the garage, It will be the area that is fenced in which will be more than big enough for him.

It would of course be ideal that he has no bad health issues to pass onto the cats inside and that after going to the vet maybe he could come in but I'm not putting all of my eggs in that basket yet. I guess I have some questions and I'm sorry for asking in my first ever post please forgive me.

Firstly do any of you have any outdoor only strays in your care? Have any of you done a outdoor cat run for a stray and not just pet cats? Do you still feed strays even if it's frowned upon in your city? Am I making a mistake here by caring for this kitty, because I don't feel like the humane society is going to give him a brighter future as he is old and kind of rough looking and as soon as I'd hand him over I could be signing over any chance he might have.

Again please forgive my getting right to it in this post, also thank you in advance for looking this over. I hope to return here with more posts and join in on other topics.

Also, here is his photo. . . We call him Kitty Amazing

Welcome Emily. Thank you so much for helping this kitty. Lots of us feed "outside only" cats. Mine is in an enclosure that is 15' x 40'. He too was a little rough around the edges. He'd been in fights and had to have teeth removed. Like you, I knew he had no chance at the SPCA, so I built him his own little kingdom.

It sounds like you are doing everything right. If he is staying close, he might already have been fixed. Have the vet check for a chip, too, as he may be lost. Have you asked around the neighborhood, just in case he belongs to someone near. I would do that, just to be on the safe side.

Everything you are doing sounds good. Thank you for caring for this kitty.

Your kitty looks a bit like Grumpy Cats brother, Pokey.

I have an outdoor feral (now only semi feral!) who has a wonderful set up on my deck.  During the winter, I have a 6x6 tarped shed that is fitted with an outdoor love seat and many heated pads.  It keeps him warm and dry and he just loves it.  I have another feral/stray that is a wanderer.  He comes and goes.  I call him my winter cat as he doesn't come around much in the summer, but spends the winter in his "grand palace".  Both cats are male and neutered.  I had hoped Patches would stop wandering once neutered, but no such luck.  He is quite the free spirit. 

During the summer, I have a retractable canopy that the love seat sits under.  It works well to keep the deck semi cool and has some protection from light rain.  Yet if it rains really hard with lots of wind, Shadow needs to move under the deck.  Shadow does come inside the house from time to time.  I try to get him inside when I know we will have a storm or also in the winter when it is bitter cold.  He will stay for short periods, but just cries and cries to go back outside. My indoor cat, Jake does not like Shadow at all.  I tried for months and months to get them socialized together and finally gave up.  Shadow is so meek and scared.  I do hope that one day he will decide to come inside for good.  For now he is happiest outside.  He rarely leaves my deck or yard.  He makes the rounds by circling the house, but that is really as far as he goes.  I do worry about him every day.  He was attacked by another cat over the winter as well as bullied by another stray (who by the way is now in my guest room!).  Yes I am totally the crazy cat lady! 

I would love to know from those of you who have enclosures, are they secure from the rain/snow?  I would love to see pictures if you care to share.
 

sugarsandz said:

. I guess I have some questions and I'm sorry for asking in my first ever post please forgive me.....
Again please forgive my getting right to it in this post,

Click to expand...

You Sugarsandz have nothing to be sorry for, nor need to ask us others for forgiveness.   IF there is anyting you are guilty here, it is in fully repayed by your helping this little brother of ours.  

We all here are friends of the semiferales, homeless, astray etc  cats.   Some are rescuers, others are caretakers or fosterers, quite a lot are owners of ex homeless - outside kitty or inside kitty, and some are engaged hereby mostly "theoretically".

We are friendly with each other and with newcomers, but it is essentially not a sociale chat forum.

You are welcomed to be personal, but it is entirely in its place to go directly,  even in your first post, to the problem.  This is what this forum, and we forumites, are here for...

You dont need to earn your spurs first by becoming a long term participant for asking and taking benefit of our advices and comments.

These who loves to mostly chat with each other, tend btw to be in the Lounge.  

This was my addition and comment to your post as others had already said the most important there was to say.

Please, continue with your reports, questions, and please participate in other threads too if you wish.

Tx a lot, welcome to our Forums,

Good luck!

I purchased the Dogloo from Petsmart for my strays. I lined the inside with straw, for added protection foam under the straw for better insulation. Lasted under 2 feet of snow and cold weather and shades in the summertime. Has a flap you can keep on or off depending on weather, I take it off once its hot. http://www.zootoo.com/pet-product/dog-houses1/dogloo-indigo-43x37x2575

Good news! We took Kitty Amazing to the vet today and he got a pretty clean bill of health, his vision isn't great but it's do to his age. He is fixed and got most of his shots, checked for fleas, ear mites and other fun stuff. He was way more well behaved then I'd have ever imagined, he even did good when they probed him to get his temp. He let them trim his nails, de-worm him, give him an antibiotic and roll him onto his back so she could check his bald spots. He does have a slight heart murmur and the vet thinks the scabs on him are from a skin allergy, he is missing a few teeth but the ones he has look really good even though the rest of him looks a bit run down.

We decided to bring him into our home to live out his senior years in comfort. He's staying in my room and my sisters room for the next week or so that way the other cats can get used to his smell and him to theirs. He is on antibiotics for a week or so and is really gassy lol, but he has settled right in. He drools a very little bit but I think it's because he is missing a few teeth on the bottom. The vet didn't seem to think it would be an issue to bring him in right away so here we are!

Wonderful news. He's a lucky kitty to have found you!

That is great news! Did the vet say he needs a special diet due to teeth missing and the allergy and gas, could it be from food? I fed mine blue wilderness dry and canned food they loved it and didnt get stomach issues from the cheaper food with corn in it. I give my cats a pro biotic after de worming and medication because sometimes it can lead to chronic diarrhea and gas. I've used Proviable and it works great. You give one pill or powder inside a day for at least 3 weeks to 2 months and not only do they feel better but it seems to improve skin, hair, and immune system.

She said it would be best to transition him to a better food for older cats. Right now we're getting him used to cat food in general but during his check up i a few weeks we'll decide on what to start him on. She didn't want to overload him on meds and new diets all at once. I love my vet, she runs a cats only clinic and doesn't like resorting to medicine for every little thing.